A CEO who started as an intern at one of the city's biggest businesses is encouraging the next generation of leaders in the industry by hosting a special Lego event.

When Carl Arntzen was 20, he started his career as an intern for Worcester Bosch.

Fast forward 40 years, Mr Arntzen is now the highest-ranking executive at the company and hopes to encourage school children into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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Worcester News: St Georges Catholic Primary School students with their work.St Georges Catholic Primary School students with their work. (Image: NQ)

Mr Arntzen said: "Getting these children to visit Worcester Bosch, in five or six years they may remember it when driving past with their parents.

"We draw staff from a 50-mile radius here, but a lot of staff are Worcester born-and-bred so engaging in the community is very good.

"We are not all people recruited from overseas and other parts of the UK - we are local people who have come through the education system and are now the senior management team in this business today."

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Worcester News: CEO Carl Arntzen giving a speech.CEO Carl Arntzen giving a speech. (Image: NQ)

First Lego League hopes to engage children of all ages with STEM topics.

Five Worcestershire schools - St Georges Catholic School, St Peters School, Sytchampton School, Perry Wood School and Upton Snodsbury School - were selected to take part in the First Lego League event today (Thursday) after applying through a competition.

The competition allowed the schools to showcase and celebrate their Lego models, which represented and used renewable energy.

They were also allowed to keep the Lego blocks and electrical equipment for future learning. 

Six children, aged between six and nine, from each school had their work assessed by Worcester Bosch reviewers giving the students a chance to speak to industry professionals.

Worcester News: The Lego creations ran solely on renewable energy.The Lego creations ran solely on renewable energy. (Image: NQ)

Simon Cottrill, a year four class teacher at St Georges Catholic Primary School, said: "This is not just about encouraging children into STEM but the socialising aspect as well, which I think currently people need more than ever post covid. 

"It makes me feel brilliant and really nice, but it was hard because we branched out into groups in class, and the winning team came, but if I could have brought them, I would have."

Mr Cottrill said the school would invite parents to see the rest of the pupils in his classes work who did not make it to the event.